Sydney's Eastern Suburbs Coastal Walk (Bondi to Coogee)

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Sydney's Eastern Suburbs Coastal Walk (Bondi to Coogee)

The rugged coastline of the Eastern suburbs of Sydney is quite rightly renowned for its magnificent coastal walk. The walk meanders between Bondi Beach and Coogee for six kilometers across scintillating cliff tops, through shady parks, alongside sparkling beaches, even skirting Waverley Cemetery, which just has to be the most scenic of cemeteries anywhere.

Starting from the justifiable world famous Bondi Beach, the walk passes the famous Bondi Baths, a tidal swimming pool that is home to the famous Iceberg Winter Swimming Club. Originally built in 1887, the current structure has been in existence since 1931.

The path then winds up through Hunter Park and then Marks park both of which provide splendid cliff top views of the ocean, the cliffs and Bondi beach before skirting Tamarama Beach through the Gaerloch Reserve.

Tamarama, nicknamed Glamarama by the locals due to its propensity to attract swimmers and sunbathers who wish to be “seen” also attracts many surfers. Dangerous for both the inexperienced swimmer and surfer, the narrow beach lies between two headlands, has deep water and faces directly east towards the incoming swell. An offshore rock shelf intensifies the often heavy swell which creates the waves the surfers are seeking. The Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club, formed in 1906 prides itself on not having lost a life despite the fact that more rescues per thousand are executed than any other patrolled Sydney beach.

Around the next headland lies the popular Bronte beach which is home to the world’s oldest life saving club formed in 1903. Bronte is named after Lord Nelson who was also held the title of the Duke of Bronte in Sicily which was bestowed upon him by King Ferdinand.The beach which adjoins Bronte Park has both an ocean pool and a rock pool at its southern end making it a popular place for families despite the frequently dangerous surf.

From Bronte, the pathway follows the cliffs towards Clovelly passing the spectacularly located Waverley Cemetery on the the way, which opened in 1877. Stuffed with Victorian and Edwardian monuments, the cemetery is the final resting place of several notables including Australia’s first Prime Minister, Sir Edmund Barton. A new pathway now circumvents the cemetery purposely restricting access in order to prevent damage.

Passing the enviable positioned Clovelly bowling club in Burrows Park, the pathway winds down to the small but popular Clovelly beach located on a narrow inlet. The beach which also features a tidal swimming pool, is a firm favourite with families due to the safe swimming and snorkeling possibilities.

Just around the corner from Clovelly, is a beautifully clear inlet known as Gordon’s Bay which has Sydney’s only underwater nature trail marked by 700 metres of chain. Small aluminium fishing boats line the head of this green watered inlet that is naturally popular with snorkelers.

There follows a climb up to a sandstone headland known as Dunningham Park, which has views extending beyond Coogee to the south. Coogee itself soon comes into sight as you pass the memorial to the Bali bombing. With a rock pool at its northern end, an ocean pool at its southern end and a long sandy stretch in between Coogee is a popular beach for all and the second largest of the beaches on the walk after Bondi.

Several of the parks on the walk have public BBQs and there are lots of places to picnic or sit and gaze on the magnificent coastline, watch the surfers always on the lookout for the “big one” , swim in the ocean or one of the swimming or rock pools, or simply laze on the beach and watch the world go by. Naturally, along the course of the walk there is no shortage of places to take refreshment of one kind or another.